Rangers Player to Take Leave Amid ‘Unfounded’ Abuse Claims Out of Russia

The move follows a story published on a hockey website in Russia alleging that Panarin, then 19, assaulted an 18-year-old woman in a hotel bar in 2011. The account comes from Andrei Nazarov, the head coach of a pro team in Russia and an outspoken supporter of the nation’s president, Vladimir Putin, according to the New York Post. The Russian-born Panarin, 29, has been critical of Putin.